


The Space Between

by Kumar



Category: He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, She-Ra: Princess Of Power (1985)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-10
Updated: 2020-01-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:28:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22191799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kumar/pseuds/Kumar
Summary: Adora is faced with an impossible situation when Adam disappears without warning from Eternia at the same time that Horde Prime makes a deadly move on Etheria. How can she choose between her brother and the rebellion?
Relationships: He-Man | Adam/Adora (She-Ra)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 6
Collections: Favorites of GAKDragon|MCB





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Newly updated to remove typo's and add more description in. It's been five years since I've written fiction and on re-reading this story, I realised the writing was a bit rough.

It was early in the morning on Etheria. The sun had barely warmed the sky, it was a new day where anything was possible. Adora, leader of the Great Rebellion, took a moment to just breathe and appreciate how beautiful Etheria, her adopted planet, was. The Whispering Woods quietly tinkled around her. The soft sounds of the magical trees brought a gentle smile to her lips.

Adora, the long lost princess of Eternia and leader of the Great Rebellion on Etheria, was at peace for the moment. These moments could be few and far between, the demands of the Rebellion took up much of her time.

The young woman sighed and stretched. Her long, golden hair flowed smoothly down her back. She was tall and striking, covered in lean muscle and clearly a force to be reckoned with. Years of training as one of Hordak’s chosen Force Captains had left their mark. Years now of leading the Rebellion both as herself, and her magical alter-ego She-ra, had ensured she stayed fit.

Adora shook herself and then began walking; it was time to get on with the day. Almost immediately, Adora ran into Bow.

“Oh good,” he exclaimed, “You’re up!”

The young man, the rebellion’s best archer, was relentlessly cheerful at any hour of the day. Today was no exception. Adora appreciated his can-do attitude most of the time. Today, she wondered if he even slept at all.

“I wanted to go over the plan of attack once more,” Bow continued, falling into step alongside Adora. “I really think I should be doing more than dealing with the supplies.”

This was an old argument. Adora sighed to herself. Bow’s biggest fault was his drive for glory and action. He often failed to see the bigger picture. 

The two had reached the make-shift kitchen area in the Whispering Woods. Adora paused before deciding on a cup of tea. She needed a little lift in order to keep up with Bow. And maybe a little distraction.

“We’ve been over this before, Bow,” she said. “We need those supplies. Once they are in the Woods, you can come back and help.”

“Babysitting supplies is no job for a warrior,” he wheedled. Almost whining. “You always put me on supply duty. I know the plan inside and out. Give me a chance to prove myself, Adora.”

Adora frowned. Her first instinct was to shut down this conversation. When she was a force captain, no dissent or discussion was tolerated. But this wasn’t the Horde and Bow actually had a point.

Adora sighed again. This time out loud. 

“All right, Bow. You and I will trade places,” she paused to watch Bow punch the air with glee. “But ... we need to go over the plan in detail now just to make sure you’re prepared for anything.”

“Of course, Adora,” Bow cleared his throat and crossed his arms trying to look serious. “I won’t let you and the others down. I promise.”

The two walked over to the planning table to go over the maps one more time. If Adora was going to step back, she was going to make sure nothing went wrong. She owed it to everyone.

……

Sunsets on Eternia were absolutely breathtaking. At the end of a long day, when possible, Adam, prince of Eternia and Adora’s twin brother, made a point of pausing to appreciate the show. It was a good time to gather his thoughts. To be grateful for his life. To wind down before bed.

Tomorrow, the young Prince had a lot going on. A delegation was expected from far off Mystic Mountains to formally petition his father, King Randor. Because of that, Adam had to stand in during court to hear his people’s concerns, applications for grants and requests for assistance. He was also negotiating a treaty between warring neighbours.

As he got older, it seemed like his father was giving him more and more responsibility. This was to be expected; he was going to be king eventually. But it made his dual life as He-Man Champion and protector of Eternia all the more difficult. Adam hoped fervently that Skeletor and his minions would take the day off.

Adam rolled his shoulders and stretched a little in this moment of pause. He was tall, heavily muscled with strikingly blond hair. Very much a match to his twin on far off Etheria.

It was dark now and time to turn in. A brief stop at the palace kitchens yielded a midnight snack for Adam to take back to his room along with a little something for Cringer, his large, green feline companion. Cringer had spent the peaceful part of his day sleeping and hiding but he’d still appreciate the gesture.

When Adam got his chambers, the cat was nowhere to be found. Oh, he’d turn up eventually so Adam wasn’t concerned. He left the treat out in the spot where Cringer slept and proceeded to get ready for bed.

Adam put his sword, the Sword of Power, away in the hidden compartment behind his bookcase, changed and climbed into bed. He was asleep as soon as the lights were out.

At night, the palace did not sleep so much as slow down. Night cooks were in the kitchens prepping for the next day. Staff cleaned and polished all the items needed for every possible ceremony coming up. Guards changed posts from ceremonial to protective. Guarding entrances and courtyards, ready for anything. 

Well, not quite anything. Just inside the sleeping prince’s chambers, a dark creature materialised. It paused, listening for a moment but the only sounds it heard were the even breaths of the still sleeping prince.

Satisfied his target was completely unaware, it moved.


	2. Chapter 2

Bow was right; babysitting supplies was a boring job, Adora thought ruefully. But, she was glad it was boring because that meant everything was going according to plan and that didn’t happen often.

The people in the village were grateful to the rebellion for the help with the Horde. Many of them chose to leave their homes and bring everything they could carry to the Whispering Woods. The rest chose to stay and fight off the Horde side by side with the rebels. It was the best possible outcome in this kind of situation.

Often times villagers just wanted to be protected but wouldn’t put up a fight. The people of Etheria were gentle souls and would rather compromise than experience conflict. This made fighting the Horde all the more difficult.

How terrible would things have to get before the people would all stand up? Adora wasn’t sure she wanted the answer to that. And she truly didn’t want to change the people she loved as her own. She would just have to do the best she could with what she had.

She was leading a group to the woods. They were a mixed bag of people, all wanting a better life for themselves and their families. They were approaching the woods. At this point, this could get difficult. The Horde knew where the rebels would eventually go. Adora scanned the open plain that stood before the villagers and safety. No sign of problems.

Adora waved people down. They had gone over the plan briefly in the village. They knew there would be a point where the group would have to stop and wait. The villagers and their supplies hid among the boulders in the valley of the nearby mountain. They were quiet. Nervous. Resting. While they hadn’t had to travel all that far, they were hauling a lot of stuff.

Adora scanned the area again. It was now or never.

At the moment that she gave the signal to the other rebels to move the group out, loud booms sounded in the distance. The ground shook. Everyone cried out and started running towards the woods.

This was the problem with working with civilians, Adora thought. They often acted instinctively, without thinking.

“Wait!” She called but it was no use.

When the first people reached the middle of the plain away from the protection of the valley, Hordak’s troopers popped out of nowhere and started blasting the people with their freeze rays.

“So much for my boring supply run,” Adora said, quickly looking around for a secluded place. “I think She-Ra needs to make an appearance!”

Finding a little cave off to the side, she ran over and pulled out her sword. “For the honour of Grayskull!”

Moments later, She-Ra joined the fray with gusto.

“Hello, boys!” She called out smashing two robots together. “It isn’t nice to turn my friends into ice statues!”

“It’s She-Ra!” A robot called out.

“Blast her!” Another responded.

She-Ra grinned evilly. “Now, now; everyone can have this dance! No need to fight!”

She grabbed more robots and spun them around before tossing them aside and in the process, crushing several more.

It wasn’t long before the area was filled with broken robots. While She-Ra had been fighting, the rebels and villagers had been escaping into the woods. It looked like everyone had made it!

Dusting off her hands, She-Ra took one last look around. Something wasn’t right. Of course! Hordak hadn’t been there gloating. In fact, none of Hordak’s minions and force captains were there. That was odd.

So was the dead silence. The distant booming had stopped. She-Ra decided to go and see how Bow and the others were doing. She had a bad feeling about this.

It only took a moment for She-Ra to run back to the village. It was completely flattened and eerily quiet.

“Oh no!” She gasped. She had left Bow in charge. This was her fault.

Running from crater to crater, She-Ra found no one. No bodies, no wounded. Everyone was gone.

Spinning around, She-Ra cried out, “Glimmer! Bow! Anyone!”

Far above, a mechanical bot circled in the sky. Spying the lone woman in the village, it dropped down from the air and landed at her feet.

“A Horde spy bot,” She-Ra exclaimed, picking it up and examining it. She plucked a small cube from its abdomen. “With a messenger cube.”

Tossing the bot aside just before it exploded, She-Ra gave the cube a little squeeze to activate it.

“This message is for the traitor and criminal Adora,” it began. It was not Hordak’s voice. “This is Horde Prime. Your rebellion is over. I have your people. Turn yourself in for punishment or I will kill every last one of them. You have until sundown to appear in the Fright Zone.”

She-Ra gasped and covered her mouth with one hand. Horde Prime never got involved personally on planets unless he had to. This wouldn’t be like sparring with Hordak, a creature she could and had confidently defeated time and again. This was deadly serious.

The messenger cube began to smoke. She-Ra quickly tossed it away and watched as it exploded. She had to move fast before her friends were killed. She had no doubt that this wasn’t a bluff.

Suddenly She-Ra got the urge to pull out her sword. In the jewel, the Sorceress of Castle Grayskull appeared.

“She-Ra,” the Sorceress called out. Her voice was soft and ageless. The woman herself, wearing a falcon hood and cape, was timeless. Appearing both young and very old. “She-Ra, you must come to Eternia.”

The bottom dropped out of She-Ra’s stomach. A call to Eternia was never a good thing. “What’s wrong, Sorceress? Is Adam all right?”

“I’m afraid not,” the Sorceress responded. “Adam has disappeared completely. He’s no longer on Eternia. And, what’s worse is he does not have the Sword of Power with him.”

This was serious; without his magic sword, Adam would be unable to transform into He-Man! He was as vulnerable as any other human.

“Time is of the essence, She-Ra,” the Sorceress continued. “I am sensing grave danger. You cannot wait.”

She-Ra glanced up at the sky. It was mid afternoon already on Etheria. At sundown, her friends and the rest of the rebels would be killed.

But her brother needed her too. He was alone and in terrible danger.

“Sorceress, I…” She-Ra started and then stopped. How could she choose?


	3. Chapter 3

Adam woke up gradually, noticing little things first. He was cold. It was too bright. His blankets were missing. He was decidedly uncomfortable. And it definitely wasn’t morning yet; he was too tired for that.

Cracking open a reluctant eye was clearly a mistake.

“Ah, good,” a deep voice said, “you’re up.”

Immediately alert, Adam sat up. He ignored the headache that came with the sudden movement.

“Where am I?” The prince demanded. “And who are you?”

The voice was owned by a kindly looking human wearing nondescript clothing. He had an air of power to him and his movements were clipped and efficient. There was no kindness in his face or demeanor. 

Military, Adam thought, assessing. This guy means business.

“Who I am doesn’t matter,” the man responded, reaching for something on a table just outside of the prince’s peripheral vision. 

“And you,” he continued, “are a means to an end. Let’s just say you’re not on Eternia any more.”

In one hand, he held up several wires with adhesive circles on their ends.

“Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. It’s up to you.”

Adam wasn’t tied to the table and he didn’t want to wait around and see what the wires were for. He shifted to attack and the man immediately shot him with a stun gun he’d had hidden in his other hand. Adam collapsed back on the table, unconscious.

Efficiently attaching the leads and wires, the man shook his head. “Amazing. With your reputation as a coward, I never would have guessed that you had any fight in you.”

He activated the table restraints. “This is going to be more interesting than I thought.”

Moving over to a nearby console, the man activated the machine and readouts began appearing in various monitors.

“All right, young prince, let’s see what makes you tick,” he pressed a button and immediately Adam woke up screaming.

...

She-Ra was caught in the worst dilemma of her life. Her twin was in immediate danger, she could faintly sense it through their shared bond, but all her friends were scheduled for execution in a matter of hours.

She explained the situation to the Sorceress who was sympathetic. 

“You must do what your heart commands, She-Ra,” the Sorceress had said through the gem in the sword. “But I can do one thing for you.”

Her gut twisting miserably, She-Ra asked, “What do you mean, Sorceress?”

“I can send you the Sword of Power,” the Sorceress responded. “Adam will need it.”

A portal opened immediately in front of She-Ra. The sword floated through. She-Ra grasped the sword by its hilt and the portal closed.

The sword was heavy, made for her brother, and yet comforting. There was a hum of power that coursed through the sword, something she felt in her own sword too. That hum deepened the connection with her twin.

He was in pain! The feeling made the Champion gasp aloud. She quickly sheathed the sword to dull the bond. It worked, mostly.

“Adam!”

Through the Sword of Protection, the Sorceress narrowed her eyes. Sending She-Ra her brother’s sword had the desired effects. The Sorceress was not above using what she had to protect Adam and save He-Man.

“Adam needs you, She-Ra,” she urged. “You must hurry.”

But She-Ra wasn’t ready to be ordered around by anyone. 

“Sorceress,” she said firmly, “my brother is the center of my heart. I owe my very life to him. He is my other half.”

The Sorceress was nodding. She knew She-Ra was in an untenable position but to the Keeper of Castle Grayskull, the choice was clear. Adam, and therefore her Champion He-Man, needed help. He was irreplaceable and the fate of the castle and ultimately protecting Eternia rested on him.

She-Ra, however, continued relentlessly, “And since he is my other half, I know exactly what he’d want me to do. I must rescue the rebels first. They are slated to die and need my help desperately.”

“But Adam!” The Sorceress exclaimed in surprise.

“No, Sorceress,” She-Ra interrupted firmly, decision made. “I know this is what Adam would choose. As soon as my friends are safe, I will go after my brother. In the meantime, I’ll need you to work on locating him. I’ll contact you in a few hours.”

She-Ra didn’t even wait for the Sorceress’s response before sheathing her sword alongside her brother’s. She paused for a moment, hoping she was making the right choice, feeling Adam’s pain increase.

“Hang on, my brother,” the Champion whispered. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

Turning to the direction of the Fright Zone, She-Ra vowed that this would be the fastest rescue she’d ever done; her brother’s very life depended on it.


	4. Chapter 4

Sneaking into the Fright Zone was something She-Ra could do in her sleep. The robot guards were predictable and easy to trick, dispose of or sneak by. The secret passages were not secret to the woman who grew up in this vile place. She had spent many childhood days hiding, exploring and being curious.

It completely paid off now.

Opting for stealth and speed rather than confrontation, She-Ra quickly made her way to the dungeons. Undetected.

Easily tearing the final door off the wall, she entered the room only to find it empty of her friends. Of course, it was full of troopers all pointing their freeze rays at her and Hordak, gloating.

“Ah, She-Ra,” the evil blue man snorted. “What a surprise to see you here!”

She-Ra had no time for Hordak’s nonsense. “Where are my friends, Hordak?”

The Horde leader shrugged and acted nonchalant, “At this point, She-Ra, they are being loaded onto a space ship bound for Horde Prime. The rebellion is over! Surrender now.”

She-Ra rolled her eyes while thinking furiously. “If you had wanted to dance, Hordak, you only had to ask nicely. No need to bring all the goons with you.”

The space port was just above her, the Champion only needed to get away from this lot and get up to ground level. She knew just what to do.

Hordak was snorting more than normal. “What? No!”

She-Ra laugh at his discomfort. “All right, Hordak, one dance but that’s it!”

Grabbing the Horde leader by his upper arms, She-Ra spun him around so fast he was a blur. Very quickly, all the metal troopers were in pieces and Hordak was a twisted mess on the floor.

“Thanks for the dance, Hordak!” She-Ra called out as she jumped up through the ceiling, leaving a large hole in her wake. “We should do it again sometime!”

She continued to punch her way through subsequent levels, no longer concerned with stealth or avoiding conflict. If her friends were sent off world, they would be lost to her forever.

When She-Ra reached the ground level, all she saw was a prison shuttle getting ready for take off. She was very familiar with the model as Hordak had trained her to fly one years before when she was learning all the roles of the force captain.

Adora had a gift for flying but had always preferred living creatures. It was to Hordak’s disdain that Adora had opted for a horse rather than a tank or a ship or any other technology when given the choice. But Adora had been a very good student and even today remember her lessons even if it had been years since she had flown.

The shuttle was in its pre-launch sequence. It was obvious that her friends were doomed even if Adora had shown up the way she was told to.

The area was clear and She-Ra knew she had to make her move. She ran fast across the tarmac to the ship. So fast, she was a blur. Unseen.

She slipped into the open hatch.

Inside, as expected, she was in a small corridor. To her right was the cockpit and she knew it would have one or more robots at the helm. To her left led to the cells. She-Ra headed left. Her first goal was to free her friends. Then she would deal with the ship.

Heading into the hold with the cells, She-Ra felt the ship start. She had only minutes before it would be too late to leave. Expecting and hoping to find her friends filling the cells, She-Ra instead found stack upon stack of cryotubes. It looked like everyone was frozen!

This was bad news. They could be dead or...

The rocket accelerated. Time was nearly up. She-Ra raced over to a tube and checked out the readings. The person inside was alive! As the pressure from acceleration began to increase, She-Ra knew it was too late. She couldn’t free all her friends in time and get back to Etheria. She was going to have to hide and wait.

…

Adam had no idea what the man who was torturing him wanted.

None.

There were no questions. No threats. In fact, there was little talk at all. At this point, Adam would have preferred that to pain. The session lasted forever. Was there a time in his life without paint? He couldn't remember. 

Finally, a reprieve. The echoes of paint coursed through his body. Adam lay gasping for air.

“Well, my young Prince,” the man said while shutting off his machine. “You are far more interesting than we realised. I think I will ask my superiors to keep you around a little longer while I figure you out.”

Adam groaned. He didn’t like the sound of that. He knew if he stayed for much longer, escaping would be impossible. He was weak. Exhausted. Every minute being tortured drained him.

Summoning someone from outside the door, the man turned. “It’s time for you to go to a cell. The guard here has the controller to your leads. Cooperate and he won’t press it. Try anything and you will suffer the consequences. Do you understand?”

Trying to look more defeated than he felt, Adma choked out an agreement. The guard didn’t even look big or strong. Adam could probably take him out and escape.

Released from the table, Adam stood on shaky legs. He was weaker than expected.

The guard grabbed his arm and yanked. It was now or never. Grabbing the guard’s arm with both hands, Adam pulled back harder. He twisted and the guard went flying over the table.Not waiting around, Adam lept for the door and immediately crumpled into a writhing heap of pain.

His torturer had the controller and was holding the button down.

“I can do this all night,” he said calmly. “It’s up to you as to when I stop.”

He released the button and continued, “Now, are you going to go to your cell peacefully or shall I continue pressing this button?”

\--

The trip in space was far shorter than She-Ra expected. Not long after taking off, she could hear the unmistakable sounds of the ship docking.

There must be a larger ship in orbit around Etheria, she thought. Of course, with Horde Prime involved, he’d want to handle things himself or with his own people at least.

Someone was coming! She-Ra quickly hid from sight, opting for caution while her friends and comrades were vulnerable. It was a couple of Horde robot troopers talking amongst themselves.

“What are we doing with these rebels?” The one asked, checking on the stacks of cryotubes.

The second robot had a manifest in his hands.   
“Horde Prime wants to experiment on them a bit before using them as examples to the other worlds,” the second robot answered absently. “They’ll never see Etheria again.”

“Not if I have anything to say about that!” She-Ra declared, popping out of hiding.

She quickly dispatched the first robot. He clearly had no useful info. The second one, though, had some questions to answer.

“Where are we?” She-Ra demanded.

“Docked with Horde Prime’s prison ship,” the robot answered. “You won’t get away!”

He was waving his arms about. She-Ra casually ripped them off and tossed them aside.

“Oh, why’s that?” She asked.

The robot started to smoke slightly. “We’re in the most secure docking bay on the ship. You need a code to even start this transport’s engines and a remote transmitter from the captain to open the bay doors. There’s no way they will let you out. And the hull is too strong even for you to smash through!”

“Thanks for the information!” She-Ra said cheerfully, smashing the robot flat.

She quickly checked the rest of the shuttle. It was empty. Going back to the cryotubes, She-Ra started thawing her frozen friends.She knew she needed someone to take care of the shuttle while she went to get a transmitter.

When Bow and her core group of rebel friends were freed, She-Ra explained the situation to them. Bow, predictably, didn’t want to stay behind.

“I can help you better out there!”

“Bow,” She-Ra responded. “You do the best robot impersonation. I need you here to keep suspicions down while I’m gone. I won’t be long.”

“She-Ra’s right, Bow,” Glimmer said. “We need to release and protect our friends here.”

“I’ll be back as soon as I can!” She-Ra said. “Get everyone thawed and be ready to move the moment I’m back. Don’t open the hatch for anyone but me.”

She-Ra quickly left before Bow could go on. Time was of the essence now that they were inside the prison ship. She opened the hatch, scanned the area and moved out.

She had been in a Horde Prime ship before. Once or twice. They followed a standard layout, like every Horde machine. It was efficient to the Horde and made her task so much easier.

Slipping out of the hold, which was amazingly empty, She-Ra crept into the corridor. The lighting was dim. It only took a second to realize that the ship was on a night cycle. That was lucky! Less people would be out and about.

…

Adam could not remember his own name, much less why he had chosen to go with the more painful route. 

As he lay twitching on the floor, he found himself wishing for safety. For a moment to catch his breath. For all the screaming to stop. He was unaware that he was the one screaming.

…

In the corridor, She-Ra paused. Her sense of Adam being in danger had only increased since she had arrived on the ship. It was almost painful.

“Not long now, my brother,” she whispered to herself. “ As soon as I'm done here, I'm coming for you.”

Transmitters, she renew, would be most easily found on officers. She had to find someone quietly and convince them to help her.

Slipping along, She-Ra had an overwhelming urge to stop in front of a nondescript door marked “Research Room 4”. The door opened suddenly and a guard nearly walked right into She-Ra. She knocked him unconscious quickly and looked up to see an unbelievable sight. It was Adam! Right in front of her on the floor.

The site both exhilarated her and enraged her. Adam was clearly in pain and it only took a fraction of a second to see why. A man with some kind of device was standing over her brother watching him writhe dispassionately. She-Ra leapt into the room and grabbed the man around the throat.

“Release Prince Adam now,” she growled, “ or you will live to regret this very day!”

She squeezed just a little bit tighter to emphasize her point.

The man, amazingly, attempted to fight her off but She-Ra was not easily removed by a mere human with mere human strength. Adam needed her now but the Champion was always reluctant to hurt her foes. But Adam….

Decision made, She-Ra tossed the man against the wall easily knocking him out. He slid into a crumpled heap on the floor. She-Ra didn't notice. She raced over to her brother and gathered him up in her arms.

“Adam!” She called.   
He groaned and opened his eyes slightly.

“Am I dreaming?” He mumbled, trying to pull himself together. 

She-Ra laughed, relieved to have been so lucky to have found him. “No, my brother oh, it's really me. I'm here.”

The young man closed his eyes again. Tired. Drained. “My sword…”

Easily unsheathing the Sword of Power she carefully handed it to its rightful owner. Adam took it but couldn't seem to hold it. 

Knowing that time was very quickly running out, she placed both her hands on him and said, “for the Honour of Grayskull, let your wounds be healed.” 

Hands glowing, the healing energy of Castle Grayskull quickly revived her brother. In a matter of minutes, he was on his feet looking like himself again.

“I think it's time for He-Man to make an appearance,” he declared.

Glancing over at the still unconscious man, She-Ra said, “I agree. We need all the help we can get to get out of here!”

That was all the encouragement Adam needed. “By the Power of Grayskull!”

While Adam transformed, she went over to the man and started going through his pockets. With any luck, she'd find a transponder and they could get off the ship.

Amazingly, her luck held! Grabbing the little unit, she stood up and turned to her brother.

“It's good to see you again, He-Man” she said with a huge grin.

“And you, Sis,” He-Man replied pulling her into a tight hug. She had no idea how glad he was to see her.

“We need to get moving,” She-Ra said, pulling out of the embrace reluctantly. “Come on!”

Heading to the door, She-Ra paused and then carefully opened it. The corridor was still empty. It wouldn't be for long though. She-Ra knew that even at night, there would be patrols.

“Where on Eternia are we?” He-Man asked, not recognizing anything.

Heading out and back the way she had come, She-Ra answered, “We’re not on Eternia at all, my Brother. We are on a Horde prison ship!”

It was almost too easy to get back to the hangar. She-Ra’s internal alarm bell started to go off. Something wasn't right.

Rounding the corner, the hangar door was in sight. Between then and it was a whole squad of Horde troopers.

They had been detected.


	5. Chapter 5

Bow was getting antsy. She-Ra had been gone a long time. Too long. Anyone in the hangar bay, would be wondering why the crew in the shuttle wasn’t coming out.

He had Glimmer revive and thaw out the others. He himself was sitting in the pilot's seat, going over the controls. He was good with machines and She-Ra might need help flying them home.

Suddenly there was a banging on the door.

“Open up in there!” A voice called.

Trying to sound like a Horde trooper, Bow replied, “we're having mechanical problems here.”

“Stand back from the door so I can blast it open!” The voice said.

Bow thought and thought fast.

“Radiation leak!” He yelled, trying to sound panicky. “We have a radiation leak. Very bad. Don't blast the door until we lock it down!”

They didn't buy it. “Who is this?”

Bow didn't wait around to answer. He ran to the cockpit and started pressing buttons. If the ship was damaged, they'd all be stuck here. At the very least, he could make it harder to hit.

….

She-Ra and He-Man stood over the pile of broken troopers dusting off their hands.

“So much for sneaking around,” He-Man said roughly.

She-Ra was eyeing the hangar door. “Clearly the quiet way is not the right way out of here,” she said punching a hole neatly through the wall.

Inside the hangar bay, she could see their shuttle skidding around while more troopers fired on it.

“Come on, Brother,” She-Ra called while running into the bay. “They've started the party without us!”

“The Horde need to learn some manners,” He-Man said, stamping hard enough on the deck to form a ripple and throw all the troopers off balance.

She-Ra took advantage of the chaos to run through the group and start ripping the robots apart. Around them an alarm sounded. The whole ship clearly knew they were here.

“Bow!” She-Ra yelled.”Open the door to the shuttle!”

Amazingly, Bow heard and the shuttle stop moving at the same moment the door opened.

She-Ra leaped in. moments later, after dispatching the last of the troopers, He-Man followed. She-Ra slipped into the other pilot chair and immediately started pressing controls.

Outside of the shuttle, troopers were feeling the hangar bay. They had big guns and many humans were intermixed with the robots.

She-Ra started the shuttle moving toward the hangar doors. He-Man stood over her watching their progress. He noticed the mix of humans on one of the monitors.

“She-Ra, stop,” He-Man said. “If we open the hangar bay doors, we will kill everyone.”

“The Horde should have a force shield in place, Brother,” she replied. She checked a monitor. “It's still up. They will all be fine.”

She-Ra expertly revved the engines. “ Bow, set course 8, 8, 2, 0, 6.”

The young man complied. “Did you get a transponder?”

She-Ra pulled it out. “Yes. With this we should be home free.”

She-Ra flipped the switch to the internal comms system. “Glimmer, tell everyone to hold on tight! We're leaving.”

The shuttle started flying. She-Ra pressed the transponder and the doors to the hangar bay started opening. Everyone held their breath.

Boom!

The sudden hit pushed the whole shuttle sideways and they dropped to the deck, spinning around. He-Man held onto the back of She-Ra’s chair so tightly, he left grooves in it.

The shuttle spun to a stop. She-Ra tried to restart the engines but it was no use.

“We're in trouble now!” Bow said. “We can't leave without the shuttle!”

Getting out of her seat, She-Ra said, “we're not dead yet, Bow. I have an idea.”

…..

There was no movement from the shuttle. The windows were too tinted to see through. Horde Prime had sent his top general to manage this mission and it was finally starting to go right.

General Zod stepped forward. 

“Rebel scum!” He called out through a megaphone. “Surrender! You cannot escape the might of the Horde!!”

Amazingly, there was no response.

“Come out now before we blast our way in!” 

He nodded at the trooper next to him carrying a big gun. “Don't hurt them, but let them know we’re serious.” 

The trooper shouldered the gun and blasted the shuttle. It slid and turned slightly.

No response. Nothing.

“Again,” the general said. He was beginning to have more sympathy for Hordak's constant failures; these Etherian rebels were a lot of trouble .

“We are losing patience,” Zod called out. “The next blast will put a hole in the shuttle. Come out now before someone gets hurt!”

Zod waited a heartbeat before nodding at the trooper again. Whatever happened, the scum brought it on themselves.

Boom!

A gaping hole appeared in the side of the shuttle. Still no movement. a crack team of troopers swarmed forward and climbed in.

“There's no one in here!” One trooper called out.

“The shuttle is empty.”

“Scan the ship! Find the rebels!” Zod ordered as he marched out of the hangar. This failure was going to cost him big and he was determined to make this right.”They can't have disappeared Into thin air. Take the ship apart if you have to but find those rebels!”


	6. Chapter 6

In Castle Grayskull’s basement, the Sorceress was leading the last of the rebels to the dimensional door that led to Etheria. She-Ra had gone ahead to make sure everyone made it into the Whispering Woods safely. He-Man had followed her without hesitation. They had a job to do.

It didn't take long for everyone to pass through the gate to the other side. Everyone was relieved to see their familiar colours of Etheria. She-Ra, however, didn't allow for anyone to dawdle.

With He-Man guarding the gate, She-Ra ran the group to the woods and to safety. Once there, she pulled Bow and Glimmer aside. Silencing their words of gratitude she said,” I need to go back to Eternia now. Bow, Glimmer, can you get our new friends settled?”

Glimmer noted,”of course, She-Ra.”

Bow was a little less quick to agree.”What's going on on Eternia, She-Ra? I can help.”

“No, Bow,” She-Ra shook her head. ”Our people need you here. I won't be gone long. Madame Razz can contact me if there are any problems.”

She returned and left, meeting He-Man at the entrance to the woods. He was just standing there looking lost now that all his charges were safe. Immediately, She-Ra knew that she had made the right decision to go home with her brother.

“Ready to go home, my Brother?” She asked as she walked up.

He-Man smiled a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.”Don't we need to help the rebels settle in their new members?”

“Bow and Glimmer are taking care of that,” She-Ra replied.”We're free to go and I don't know about you... but I'm overdue for a vacation!”

Heading back to where the Sorceress’s dimensional gate usually opened, She-Ra pulled out her sword and called the Sorceress through the gem and made the arrangements.

She was determined to find out more about how her twin had ended up on a Horde prison ship and what exactly had happened to him there.

...

Zod wasn't a top general for nothing. The setback on his ship was exactly that - a setback. but he had years of experience and he certainly wasn't going to lose his prey for long.

It would be easy enough to start again and recapture that Eternian Prince Adam. He was a useful weakness and his whereabouts are easy to predict. He would, of course, be back home and easy enough to recapture. This time, however, Zod would not be relying on flawed subordinates. He would handle this mission himself. 

...

Back at the Royal Palace, there was much rejoicing on Prince Adam's return. She-Ra had stayed in her current form to protect her brother and bring him home safely. He-Man had transformed back to his natural form since he knew everybody would be looking for him.

He hadn't protested being coddled by his sister, which was out of character for him.

They had returned in the late hours of the Eternian morning. It was amazing to realize that everything that had happened, did so in only a day! After many hugs, questions and lots of celebrations on his safe return, all Adam wanted to do was retreat to his chambers. Or maybe not his chambers, they were no longer a safe refuge.

Reading his mind, as she was wont to do, She-Ra announced to the group, consisting of their parents, Man-At-Arms, and the captain of the Royal Guard, Teela, ”before I go, I'd like to examine the Prince’s chambers. We need to figure out how the Horde got in so that we can prevent this from happening again.”

Adam, grateful for the excuse to leave, said,”of course. If you'll all excuse us…”

“We've already swept the chambers,” Teela interrupted. She was annoyed at the implication that she hadn't done her job. How dare that... that She-Ra just accuse her like that 

“We didn't find anything.”

She-Ra raised a perfect eyebrow, realizing that she may have bruised an ego.

”Of course,” she demurred.” I-”

“Teela,” Adam interrupted, sounding tired to the bone.” She-Ra is leaving. If she wants to make sure I'm safe before she goes, it's fine by me.”

“Adam!” Teala exclaimed, but she was talking to his back for the young man had turned and left the group.

She-Ra smiled apologetically and followed her brother. Teela was left splutterin.

…

Inside his chambers, Adam let out a sigh of relief. Everything was the same. It felt the same. He had been worried that entering the rooms where his adventure began would trigger something in him.

He was, however, exhausted.

He walked across the room without really seeing anything and fell onto the bed. She-Ra had been looking around and was startled by the heavy thunk from the bed.

“Brother!” She called out.

“I'm all right,” Adam waved a weary hand while remaining face down on a very comfy bed. “I’m just tired.”

She-Ra was across the room quickly and sat down beside him. She laid a gentle hand on his back

“Don't,” Adam said without looking.

“Don't what? “She-Ra asked innocently knowing full well what her twin meant.

Adam didn't even open his eyes,”Don't heal me. I'm fine.”

“Of course, my Brother,” She-Ra agreed, not actually listening. Under her breath she said, ”for the Honour of Grayskull. Let your wounds be healed.”

Her hands glowed and warmed, spreading healing magic throughout the young man. She could feel on the top layer was exhaustion, and also... damage. All over he had little tears, stresses and more. As though her brother had spent many hours being tortured. She-Ra was even more glad she had trusted her instincts.

Adam, in the meantime, started snoring quietly. 

Knowing she couldn't stay long in the prince's chambers without starting rumours, she reluctantly ended the healing session. She was drained from both the adventure and healing Adam. It was definitely time to go. But she didn't want to.

Having no explanation for her desire to stay, other than a gut feeling, She-Ra settled herself into a nearby comfy chair and proceeded to wait.

...

Hours later, She-Ra was startled awake by a noise. Glancing over at the bed she could see Adam was gone.

Noise, and a movement again had the Champion on her feet, sword in hand.

“Stop!” She called out. ”I know you're there.”

The figure stepped forward. It was Adam.”It's only me,” he said.” I'm harmless.”

“But I'm not!”

Both siblings spun around to face the new and real threat by the wall.

“You!” Adam called out.

“I believe we have some unfinished business,Your Highness,” General Zod declared holding a freeze ray up. ”Why not get your Etherian girlfriend to stand down?”

“There's no chance of that!” She-Ra threw her sword at the general suddenly.

“Sword to net!”

The general was entangled and She-Ra had him pinned to the wall instantly. Adam, in the meantime had stuck his head into the hall and was calling for the Royal Guards. In a matter of seconds, they were on the scene.

She-Ra release Zod into their custody.

”This is the man responsible for the prince\s abduction. He's a general for Horde Prime. Search him carefully - he has technology or magic that allows him to transport undetected.” 

The guards nodded and started pushing their prisoner out the door.

“Of course.”

As they were leaving, Man-At-Arms and Teela burst in.

“What happened?” They demanded.

“It's all right. I'm fine,” Adam soothed .”Thanks to She-Ra.”

Teela’s eyes narrowed, noting the fact that this woman was clearly spending the night. ”Why is she still here?” The captain demanded.

“It doesn't matter,” Man-At-Arms jumped in.”What matters is she saved Prince Adam.”

“Yes,” Adam agreed. Turning to She-Ra he said, ”thank you.”

She-Ra decided that enough was enough.”Now, I must go but before I do I think the prince should spend the remainder of the night somewhere else. At least until the security of his chambers can be upgraded.”

Teela folded her arms on the defensive again. “Leaving so soon?”

Seriously. This was getting old.

“I'm going to interrogate the prisoner before heading back to Etheria. I want to make sure that the Horde leaves Adam alone.”

She-Ra was clearly livid and she meant business but there was no way Adam was going to let her coddle him any longer. He wasn't helpless and he wasn't afraid.

“I'll come too,” Adam declared. ”This ends here.”

“In the meantime,” Man-At-Arms said, ”we'll get some shielding set up around the Royal Apartments. Come on, Teela, and give me a hand.”

The group went their separate ways

…

Zod was impressed with how ruthlessly he was searched. Escaping from the palace dungeons would be a lot harder than he thought. Maybe impossible. He had no transponder, no transporter and no way to communicate with his ship.

He would have to wait and watch for an opportunity instead. He settled on the bench in his cell. Sooner or later someone would be by and he would be ready. 

…

“Are you sure about this? Adam asked his sister.

Adora nodded. ”The Horde is going after me through you. I'm going to find out why and go from there.”

Adam nodded at the guard to open the door to the cell block.

“Well, let's see what the general has to say,” he said.

When the twins approached the cell, they saw the Horde prisoner sitting casually on the bench. Adora squared her shoulders, unconsciously taking on her role as a soldier.

“You have my attention Horde soldier. What do you want?”

Zod had never met Adora in person before and he was reluctantly impressed. Horde Prime had always portrayed the Etherian rebels as sniveling do-gooders but clearly this one was battle-hardened.

Adora wasn't taking any crap after the day and night she just had. ”I asked you a question, Soldier, and I expect an answer.”

“ I,” Zod said standing up slowly, ”don't want anything.”

Adam raised his eyebrows.

“Horde Prime, however, is quite annoyed with you.” 

“What does Horde Prime want?” Adora demanded.

“He wants you and your rebellion gone. You are a constant thorn in his side. Until you cooperate and disappear, everything and everyone you care about will be under attack.”

“You can't scare us away that easily,” Adam responded.

“Just wait and see,” Zod shrugged. ”Even with me gone Horde Prime won't stop.”

Adora frowned. They were getting nowhere. ”Why does Etheria matter so much to Horde Prime?”

Zod sat down again taking his time,”it doesn't.” He closed his eyes.

“What?” Adam blurted out.

But Adora was thinking furiously. Either this general was lying and Etheria had something special or... she narrowed her eyes… or the success of the rebellion on her world was causing other worlds to rise up. Theria couldn't be all that important considering the fact that the Horde Prime had put someone like Hordak in charge.

The rebellion was working. They were destabilizing the Horde.

Now, how could she use that to her advantage?

“Brother,” Adora said.” We need to talk.”

…

In Castle Grayskull, Adam and Adora were conferring with the Sorceress. Adam was impressed with how his twin’s brain worked. Her ability to strategise and her mental leaps reflected the life she had had growing up. Growing up as a soldier in the Horde.

“We need a spell that is undetectable,” Adora was saying.”Something that can spread from person to person like an illness.”

“Of course,” the Sorceress nodded. ”Spreading courage and hope to the downtrodden it could work.”

“With any luck, we can spread enough courage to keep the Horde on the run,” Adora agreed.

The Sorceress cast a spell and created a light show in front of her. Sparkles and glitter floated in the air.

“There,” she announced. ”This is what you need.”

Adora frowned. “It's not exactly subtle. How am I going to get the general to carry it without his knowledge?”

The Sorceress laughed gently. ”Princess, the illness of courage starts with you. Walk into the glow and the magic will spread to whomever you come in contact with.”

Adora took a step forward, into the sparkles and stopped. For a beautiful moment she looked glorious and powerful. The glowing sparkles hovered around her and then all dove into her at once. Adora gasped.

Adam reached out in concern to steady his twin.”Adora!” 

But as he touched her he gasped. Instantly he felt like his old self again. Confident. Positive. The events of the past few days no longer weighed so heavily on him. It was a glorious feeling.

The Sorceress smiled. Her spell had the desired effect and restored the vitality to her Champion. Today was a good day.

“Now go and let this magic spread through the Horde and all through the universe.”

Adora didn't need to be told twice. The Horde was never going to know what hit them.

The end


End file.
